Harness.



PATENTED DEC. 1, 1903. W. HORNING.

HARNESS. 'APPLmA TION FILED APR. 7, 1902.

N0 MODEL.

Patented December 1, 1903.

PATENT ()rincs WILLIAM HORNING, OF JOHNSTOVVN, NEW YORK.

HARNESS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 745,440, dated December 1, 1903.

Application filed April 7, 1902- Serial No. 101,773. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM HORNING, a citizen of the United States, residing at Johnstown, in the county of Fulton and State of New York, have invented a new and useful Harness, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates generally to harness, and particularly to that class wherein the employment of a breeching-strap may be dispensed with without interfering with the proper operation of the harness.

The object of the invention is to provide a novel form of belly-band of such construction that when the saddle-billets and thill-tugs are associated therewith all the parts will be positively held against separation and from liability of becoming broken under strain resulting from an animal backing violently between the thills when the breeching-strap is dispensed with. t

A further object is to cause the belly-band itself to receive the principal strain from the saddle-billets and thill-tugs, inlieu of the buckles for holding those parts associatedstood that the elements'therein exhibited may be varied or changed as to shape, proportion, and exact manner of assemblage without departing from the spirit thereof.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a view in elevation of a harness-saddle with the improved belly-band associated therewith. Fig, 2 is a View in elevation of the belly-band detached from the harness. Fig. 3 is an enlarged detail view in perspective of one end of the belly-band. Fig. at is a view in elevation, partly in section, of a portion of one of the thills, exhibiting a stop associated therewith to coact with the tugs, said stop being particularly adapted for use in connection with a harness when a breeching is omitted.

Referring to the drawings, 1 designates the saddle, which may be of the usual orany preferred construction, 2 the usual backingstraps carried thereby, and 3 the saddle or billet straps. As these parts may be of the usual or any preferred construction, further description thereof is deemed unnecessary.

The present invention resides in the novel form of belly-band andin the mannerin which the saddle straps and tugbillets are associated therewith. The belly-band 4 may be made in the usual manner--th'at is, of the desired number of plies or thicknesses of leatherand is provided adjacent to each terminal with two rectangular openings 5 and 6, the openings 5 being provided for the reception of the tug-billets 7a'nd 8 and the openings 6 for the reception of the saddle-straps 3. As

shown in Fig. 3, both of the openings 5 and 6 have buckles 9 and 10 secured adjacent thereto, while in the arrangement shown in Figs. 1 and 2 buckles are disposed adjacent onlyto the openings 6. The said'openings are provided i in order to secure the strongest possible con nection between the belly-band and the sad dle-straps and tug-billets, and at the same time toobviate the employment of runners or retainer-loops, such as are commonly em-- ployed for this purpose, and also in a large measure to relieve the buckles 9 and 10 of a greater part of the lateral strain to which they are subjected when an animal is backing. Under the construction shown in Figs. 1 and 2 the tug-billet 7 is passed through the opening 5 of the belly-band, thence through runners or keepers 11, and is provided at its free end-with a buckle 12 to be engaged by the tug-billet 8, which also extends through the opening 5 on that side of the belly-band and has its loose end likewise passed through the keepers 11 and through a keeper 13, carried by the tug-billet adjacent to the buckle 12. Under this arrangement adjustment of one tug -billet effects adjustment of both, while where the buckles 9 are associated with the openings 5' one of the tug-billets may be adjusted to the exclusion of the other, this being due to the fact that the tug-billets separately engage the buckles 9.

As stated in the first part of the specifica tion, an object of this invention is to obviate necessity of the employment of a breechingstrap, and this is efiected by the manner of connecting the saddle-straps and tug-billets with the belly-band in either of the manners described. The elimination of the breeching also dispenses with the holdback-straps, and in order to enable the animal to back a vehicle provision has to be made to hold the tugs from rearward movement on the thills when it is desired to back the vehicle. The means herein employed is illustrated in Fig. 4, and comprises a plate 14, one for each thill, provided with a downward-extending projection 15, constituting a stop against which the tug will work, the stop-plate being secured on the thill by a screw 16, which passes through from the upper side of the thill and into the stop 15, the connection between the parts being rendered more secure by the employment of two screws 17, passing through the terminals of the plate and upward. into the thill. The cooperative relation between the stop and the tug 18 is shown in Fig. 4, wherein the tug is indicated in dotted lines.

Where it is desired to use a breeching with the tugs, as usual, each tug is provided at its lower portion with a tongueless buckle 19, one loop of which is secured in any suitable way to the tug and receives the tug-billet, and the other loop, 20, of which projects rearward from the tug to be engaged by the breeching. Under this arrangement the harness may readilybe converted from a harness without breeching to one with breeching without necessitating any change in any of the parts of the harness.

It will be seen from the foregoing description that although the improvements herein defined are of an exceedingly simple charac- Y ter they will be thoroughly efficient in per forming the functions designed and may be applied to an ordinary harness without objectionable expense.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. In a harness, the combination with the saddle, of a belly-band having its terminals provided with pairs of openings through the material of the belly-band, tug-billets passing through the outerpair of openings and secured to the backing-straps of the harness, saddlebillets passing through the inner pair of openings, and means for holding the said billets associated with the belly-band.

2. In a harness, the combination with a saddle, of a belly-band having its terminals provided with pairs ofopenings through the material of the belly-band and buckles disposed adjacent thereto, tug-billets passing through the outer pair of openings and secured to the backing-straps of the saddle, and saddle-billets passing through the inner pair of openings.

3. In aharness, the combination with a saddle, of a belly-band having its terminals provided with pairs of openings through the material of the belly-band and buckles disposed adjacent thereto, tugs provided with means for attachment to the terminals of a breeching-strap and having billets passing through the outer pair of openings, and saddle-billets passing through the inner pair of openings.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I have hereto aflixed my signature in the presenceof two witnesses.

WILLIAM HORNING.

Witnesses:

ANDREW J. NELLIS, O. E. PROPER. 

